Artistic Nails & Spa

Quiet, peaceful place. Under new management and it seems so much better than the prior reviews!

Please was clean, the wait was reasonable, people were nice. My toes looked good when I left. All the basics covered.
Their kids did make an appearance and some racket but it wasn’t the end of the world. They ran hot water and I soaked in a chair while I waited for them to finish up with other clients. It was pleasant and they did a good, but not great job.
I can see if you were on a time limit or looking for a relaxing experience how it could frustrating. Since I just needed to have cleaned up toes and polish it worked just fine for my needs. I will come here again.

I wish I read the reviews, haven’t gotten my nails done in forever so I thought I treat myself… Not only $ 50 later they did a horrible job and had there kids running around grabbing clients purses sunglasses etc… I figured they would all be the same but guess not def do my research next time! Lesson learned

I hadn’t been in to Artistic Nails for about 3 years. I wish I had read the Unilocal reviews before my return.
My daughter and I popped in for mani/​pedis around 1:00pm on a quiet weekday. There were only 2 other customers in the later stages of their services so we were seated promptly. Soon we were the only customers in the store yet the service was rushed and extremely poor quality.
Some of the issues:
–poor quality nail polish
–only used one stroke of base coat down the center of the nail. When I asked, the woman said «it’s fine.»
–sawed our nails instead of filing in one direction. Again, «it’s fine.»
–chairs and floor were grimy. I couldn’t put my purse on the floor.
–the woman commented that my polish selection was ugly and wanted to choose colors for me.
We left with sore cuticles :-(By the time I arrived at my event at 6pm that evening, two nails were already chipped. My nails began to shred the next day and I lost all of the length on each and every one, thanks to the sawing. On day two I took off the remaining specks of nail polish. I’m not sure what happened with my cuticles but they were shredded by day 3.
The only plus is that the pedicure did last 6 days.

I stopped frequenting this location when they changed ownership. The new owners are a couple who bring their two small children to the salon with them so it’s like having your nails done in a daycare. I’m a mom myself, so I sympathize with the expense of childcare, but a monthly pedicure is a treat for me, and I don’t want to have to deal with other peoples kids playing in the foot bath water while I’m relaxing. True story. Also, the quality has never been great here and definitely hasn’t improved. Go elsewhere.

The worst nail salon I have EVER been to. I had gel on my toenails and when the «artist» was taking it off she splashed her very strong solution all over my new 150 $ sandals that were off to the side. When I noticed this, I told the lady and she didn’t say anything because guess what… she didn’t speak English. So I told the manager and he spoke to her and she took the sandals and attempted to clean them which evidently made them 10 times worse by completely discoloring the leather base. Not once did that lady offer an apology or show any remorse. On top of that… her pedicure sucked. Im a well educated UCSB student and i understand mistakes, but these people made a pitiful attempt to please their customer and make things right. I would never recommend this place even if it was the last nail salon on earth. Take my advice and go elsewhere.

I live nearby Calle Real so I went to that salon without reading up on reviews. Henry did gel nails for me and he was pretty good at it. I can’t say for the rest of the employees. He was really friendly, and so was his wife. They have the cutest kid. He kept complimenting on my upper sleeve tattoo and said he really wants color on his and that his wife also wants a tattoo. So overall, he was very friendly.
However, I will NOT go to the one in Paseo Nuevo. Worst nail salon I have ever been to. I don’t even want to start on it. I already have a post on it a couple years ago about my horrible experience. Ladies and possibly gents, don’t be fooled just because they can afford the rent to have a salon in Paseo Nuevo. I had the OWNER do my nails and she was nothing but disappointment.
****The four stars is for the one in Calle Real.

Terrible experience. The owner had his two kids running around, one 4 year old and one toddler. He had to get up from my pedicure every 5 minutes to attend to them because they wouldn’t sit still. The overall product was sloppy and he never focused or cared how I was doing. If you see kids in the salon LEAVE

The only reason this place should even get 1 star is because my nails actually had paint on them when I left. The last time I went was in August with a bridal party. When we called for appointments, rather than saying it might take time or that they couldn’t help all 9 of us, we were told to come in and many got rushed through it. The result was 2 or 3 out of 9 happy with their service. My guy was distracted and also rushed through my gels. The polish was sloppy and I had to ask to have a few nails filed before I left. He also didn’t listen when i repeatedly said the UV light was falling off my lap. I couldn’t move without knocking it and the pillow in my lap into the pedicure bath. At this point, the INCREDIBLY GRUMPY woman (if you’ve been there and you think you know who I mean… yeah, it was her) who was doing my pedicure got angry with me. The pedicure looked fine, but I asked to add the paraffin wax and the woman made it the deluxe pedi without asking or even telling me. (Difference of $ 13, I believe.) The women who was doing the waxing had a young daughter who repeatedly entered the closed door room while I was getting my eyebrows waxed. (I would open my eyes to find her standing next to me and staring at me which was just weird.) When the bride was paying for herself and a few others, there was a pricing discrepancy and an argument following where they called her an extremely insulting and foul name. When I went to pay, I asked about my price increase (the $ 13 difference) and that resulted in 5 of the employees yelling for so long and so loud that I waved my arm around saying «What is happening right now?». Not to mention, when she wasn’t yelling, Queen Grumpy stood in front of me with her arms crossed and her bottom lip out in an angry pout. I was mortified so I paid (with a tip) and ran out. I regretted leaving a tip the minute I left the building. The manager and another employee were pleasant and talented but that isn’t enough to make up for everything else.
I don’t care if there is free water. I will not be back.

Terrible Service. The nail artists very noticeably talk badly about you in another language. The moment I told them I had a 20% off Axxess deal they became very rude. I went with my mom and a male friend and the male friend wanted to get his toes pink and they REFUSED to do it. Sexist weirdos. DO NOT GO HERE!

did a terrible job, totally overpriced, and gave ATTITUDE. We went for xmas mani-​pedis and had to get two pedicures re-​done, had to ask repeatedly for services that were supposed to be included in the exorbitantly priced special we ordered… and all in all it was a really bad and upsetting experience. And when we complained there was absolutely NO attempt to compromise with us or make us feel any better. If I could give no stars I would: DO NOT COME HERE

Terrible. I had to re-​do my nails after I left.
the Bad:
–The two women working with me were gossiping the entire time. I actually had to get the guts to nicely ask them to stop, after I was sitting in the chair NOT being worked on for several minutes at a time.
–I had to ask them to add a 2^nd coat. They were seriously about to put ONE coat on.
–One of my cuticles started bleeding, because the women would look away to gossip while continuing to cut my skin with scissors.
–I had to ask to have the extra polish that she got on my skin removed with polish remover.
the Good:
–N/​A
I can understand a mistake, but these people want to get you in and out in 20 minutes and don’t care how it looks.
My nails look like I painted them myself while I was driving in traffic.

I really enjoyed my pedicure at Artistic Nails. It was a little pricey — mind you I did a wax foot mask and a exfoliating rub — but it was around 45 (including tip) I was there for about an hour of pampering so I guess it was worth it. I would normally spend 30 on something like this back home. But oh well. My toes look nice and the lady was sweet!

I asked for an ultra deluxe pedicure, priced at $ 35. I received what seemed to me to be a pretty standard pedicure, one I would usually pay $ 25 for. Then, they gave my shoes away. The woman next to me had a walker and lots of personal items, and when they were helping her out of the shop, they gave her my shoes. When they realized this, they said they would buy me new ones. I explained that they were expensive, they said that was fine. Then when it was time to pay everything changed. «Not responsible for lost or stolen items» blah blah blah. My pedicure was over priced, I lost a great pair of nice sandals, I was yelled at in poor English for what seemed like forever, and they finally, finally, finally gave me a small credit for the shoes. Worst. Experience. Ever. Just skip this place entirely.

I was sold on the new shellac gel nail colors. Tracy, the owner, says they last at least 2 weeks and we all have heard the same. I was a believer since I’ve had it before. I was at the Paseo Nuevo loction and have to say the service was poor from the start. No hand massages or nothing. Nail color didn’t even last me a week. The color started bubbling after the 2^nd or 3^rd day and after the 7^th day, started peeling off. I went back to the salon to show her my nails and this is what she told me, «they don’t last forever». I’m not expecting them to last forever, I’m expecting them to last me at least two weeks, the price I’d paid for them. She told me she would re-​do two of my nails but I would have to come back because she was busy. Guess what? I never went back and won’t ever go back, not to any of her 3 locations.

I went in for a walk-​in appointment to get a pedicure. I think it was about a 10 minute wait on a weekday afternoon. I was seated in a comfortable chair with a nice stack of US Weekly and People magazines within reach. A middle-​aged man was assigned to me. He asked me what type of Asian I was. I always get kind of uncomfortable with that question. He asked me if I wanted the deluxe pedicure, and I thought he said $ 25 (regular pedicure was $ 20), but I alter found out it was $ 35 — BOO. I have a hard time saying no, so I said yes. I wish I had said no. I didn’t really enjoy the hot wax and all the extras. He did a good painting job — the pedicure lasted forever without chipping. He asked if I wanted a flower for an extra $ 5, and again I had a hard time saying no, so I said yes. So I walked away with pretty painted nails but with an almost $ 50 bill with tip! Yikes. It’s pretty much my fault, but that tainted my experience there a little. Since I’m broke I’ll probably be painting my own nails for awhile. I’m sure it would be fine for a $ 20 pedicure.

I don’t even want to give them one star. WORST MANICURE OF MY LIFE. Worse than I could have given myself with my feet. And when I asked the lady to fix it, she gave me such attitude. NEVER GO HERE. EVER.
Plus it’s expensive.

Artistic Nails has a number of locations. I’ve been to the Mesa and the Paseo Nuevo locations.
I’ve been a long time consumer of manicures, pedicures, and acrylics, so I think that I can give a fair comparison.
Artistic Nails is slightly more upscale than the typical Vietnamese discount nail place, in my opinion. All locations have nice spa chairs, are pretty clean, and the employees have decent English.
I’ve been to Artistic Nails dozens of times.
Paseo Nuevo:
I think that this is where the chain puts its better people, as I’d consider the workers at this location among the better people (for this level of place). Being located in a busy mall, there are almost always 5 – 8 people working, which means that you’re going to wait for less time. They are fast, which is a perk if you’re trying to get out in time. If it isn’t very busy, they’ll put a second person on you to do your manicure.
Mesa:
The chain puts crappier/​newer people at this location. Time and time again I’ve been dissatisfied here. The people working there are always different (which makes me think that the new employees are put here to «train».) There are usually only 3 people working, even on weekends. This is fine when there is no one else around, as you can usually pop in without a wait. But it is really tough if there is a backup. As far as the quality of the service, I often get cut here. They are also slower than other locations (which can be good or bad). English language skills are noticeably worse at this location. I keep going back though because it is close to my house and I don’t have to pay for parking (or drive).
One big perk of Artistic Nails, though — a student ID gets 10%.

I’ve been here twice, both kind of on a whim. I was in the area, I was preparing for some kind of event, like a conference or a party, and I looked at my boring old feet then decided to do something about it.
The place is a little quirky and fun. Most of the people here are guys, which is kind of cool because there is such an expectation that the folks who do mani-​pedis are women. So there’s a gender challenge for ya.
Friends of mine have balked at the $ 20-​$ 25 pedi cost. «OMG, I can get that in the east bay for, like, $ 12!» But really, the price here seems decent. Let’s break it down:
* that nifty massage chair that’s buzzing away the whole time. Maybe this is a standard expectation now, but I usually figure that if I’m getting paint sloshed on my feet, it would involve me sitting in a boring old chair getting paint sloshed on my feet. So, like, free rolly massage for half an hour or more is pretty nifty.
* complimentary drinks. Sometimes there’s an assortment of fizzy drinks and water in the chiller. Today, water, and it’s nice to sip away while sitting back, getting the rolly massage, and someone is sloshing paint on your feet.
* complimentary viewing of the elite and trashy of Goleta. Especially when seated in that rocket ship circle of massage chairs and you’re facing the door. And the skankiest chicks with saggy leathery skin, ham hock boobs and ultra fried highlighted hair frizz waddle in, chomping their gum, pick out the hot pink nail polish, snaps, «Whuat? Like, I can’t tell whut yer sayinnnn’,» to the woman at the counter.
That’s gold right there.
* the pedicure itself. Mine seem to last forever. So no complaints there.
* the little automated voice that chimes «thank you!» when you walk out the door.
Some people sit there and pretend they’re asleep so they don’t have to talk to the person tending to their dirty digits. Others talk on the phone, or read some gossip magazine. But I think the nail salon, especially Artistic Nails in Goleta, is a great place to observe the human condition.
Assuming you only speak English, it is interesting to watch how the people there interact with each other without knowing what they are saying. The mother hen who stomps around, checking up on everyone, issuing mysterious orders. The young cowboy, who saunters and acts cool. The harried and overworked young woman with all the acrylic nail talent and apparently the only person given the honor of yanking out eyebrow folicles. They work with each other, day in, day out, dealing with our scrappy smelly yellow toenails, monobrows, being generally ignored, and they make us feel pampered and beautiful.
And all they ask is $ 25. Please present your coupon before services rendered.

I’m still searching for «my» nail place here. After being here a month, I’ve tried my second nail place and I must say that sadly, Artistic Nails will unlikely be it for me.
I decided to go there b/​c I saw a coupon in the Santa Barbara News Press for $ 30 for both a mani/​pedi. Wow! great deal considering my last mani/​pedi here ran me like $ 54! Regular mani/​pedi ladies, nothing special, no flowers, no acrylics, nope, just a plain mani/​pedi.
So I sorta knew where Artistic is located, which, is in a strip mall next to an Albertson’s and a Rite Aid? or was it Long’s or CVS? I can’t recall, but a drug store of some sort. so I rolled up Sat morning, about 11:30, walked in and to my awe and total surprise, I walked into the 80’s. yah, seriously, everything was a shade of pink, the chairs were this nasty flesh colored plastic with these «crushed flowers» seat cushions. can we say N-​A-​S-​T-​Y? really. the nail polishes were located right at the entrance and I started looking at the nail polishes and this guy comes up to me and i said, I need a mani and a pedi, thank you. He looks at me and says something. I wasn’t sure what so i keep looking for nail colors, then ANOTHER guy comes up to me and says if he can help me and I’m like, yah, uh, i need a mani and pedi… *didn’t I already tell someone this?
so he tells me to go to a chair and so there I am and i can’t say that i feel like the place is totally clean. it’s sorta has this nasty film stuff on all of the seats that i didn’t want to put my purse down…
I guy starts on my pedicure and of course the first thing he asks me «are you chinese?» dude. why does it matter? I mean, i know i’m like the only other asian person besides your compadres here, but still does it matter? so i say yes and yes, with a little aggravation.
another gal comes up and starts on my manicure and clearly her language ability is a little than the guy doing my pedi, so i ask her where is some good vietnamese food in town and she tells me about Saigon In and Out. eh. which, ended up being ok. see my other review.
so anyway, i can’t say that i recommend this place, and the irony… my mani and pedi was $ 30 WITHOUT the coupon. uh… okay… The only reason i would go back b/​c it’s was cheap.
mani — $ 10
pedi — $ 20